TAMESIDE Council’s leader has vowed to keep driving a growth agenda after it was revealed two huge firms looked at setting up in the borough.
Cllr Eleanor wills attracted criticism after flying to Cannes in the south of France to attend the MIPIM event.
The Correspondent revealed sending her and strategic growth director Nicola Elsworth cost the authority about £4,500 – days after council tax went up 4.99 per cent.
At the full council meeting on Tuesday, May 20, it was revealed Rolls Royce and Brompton Bicycles enquired about land on Ashton Moss.
It was explained that at the time, the land was not ready for development but now it is.
And Cllr Wills told how attracting more investment into the area is high on her to do list, with Stalybridge’s Street Fest – which she pioneered – hailed as an example.
She said: “I decided to attend MIPIM alongside other boroughs in Greater Manchester.
“We cannot sit back and hope investors will knock on our door. We must go and seek investment opportunities and spread those waiting to be harnessed.
“Attending MIPIM was a significant signal to the market that Tameside is open for business.
“Were a serious place where the private sector can invest with confidence and conversations are ongoing.
“I’m proud to put Tameside on the map and make it clear we’re open for business at events like MIPIM – I’ll unashamedly continue to do this because this is a necessity.
“We have ti be in the conversation and push our agenda to the market, as loudly and clearly as possible.
“Growth will be the tool we use to fight the scourges of poverty, inequality and hopelessness.
“Not just growth as an end in itself. Growth with a clear, progressive purpose. Growth that puts money back into people’s pockets and security into their lives.
“I’m excited that all our nine towns will have a clear growth programme in place. These pans will acknowledge the uniqueness of those places.
“I introduced Staybridge Street Fest to our authority and it’s not just an event in isolation. It’s brought business growth and regeneration as an after-effect of its success and shows the difference ambition and vision can have.
“I want to emulate that ambition and vision across our nine towns.”
Cllr Wills’ Cannes trip has been questioned, with people asking what return has there been on the investment?
Nicola Elsworth, speaking at an event, said: “Having the private sector on board is really helpful in making sure the proposals we’re seeking to bring forward from a delivery prospective are market-facing.
“At Ashton Moss, we’ve the capacity to deliver up to 130,000 square metres of advanced manufacturing and materials space.
“For us, bringing that site forward and the ability for us to bring quality jobs and quality employment as a real key driver to what we can achieve locally in Ashton is really important to us.
“With St Petersfield and the wider town centre, we’re looking at that as one opportunity where we want to bring forward about 2,500 new homes and there will be an element of commercial floorspace.
“We have Ashton Old Baths. Ashton Old Baths has been a real success for us – it’s a business incubation space, where we’ve really fostered digital and creative start-up companies.
“That building is now 100 per cent occupied and we’re looking for grow-on space.
“It is about growth for us but it’s also about inclusive growth. We’ve a number of strongly performing colleges in Tameside – making sure local young people can take advantage of the opportunities that are presented is really important to us.”
And after detailing how a strategic growth unit, aimed at delivering the aims, had been launched, Cllr Wills insisted: “We must accept nothing less than being ambitious for everybody in Tameside.
“I truly believe we have the skills, resources and people to turn that ambition into reality.
“The growth programme is ambitious and I expect the same level of ambition to be shared by our public and private sector partners.
“I know that as a significant player we can secure our fair share of support and investment to benefit Tameside.”